Method of making matrices for fresnel-type lenses



XR @Munn METHOD OF MAKING MATRCES FOR PRESNEL-TYPE LENSES 'Filedl Maron 29, l1946 INVENTGR.

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FRESNEL-TWE LENSES e Ray V. Besligetoor, EerchentviiierN. J., assigner f' ci' Delaware Application Merch 129,'li946, ei-isi No. 658.351

My present. invention relates to improvements in the art of melting matrices and molds for the manufacture of Fresnei-type lenses.

In conventional Fresnel lenses, such as the ones used in railway and marine signallingr systems. the lens surface contains relative few rios or rines. However. the Fresnel-type lens commonly incorporated in plastic viewing screens for the purpose of eliminating hot spots" in television. motion picture and micro-film projection systems may contain up to say, forty ribs per inch. As to this. see bywaiy of example, copenciing application Ser. No. 533,356 to Rus seil R. Law).

lin making Fresnehtype viewing screens it is usually more convenient to malte the ribs of the lens in the form cf a continuous spiral instead of a series of concentric circles. This has heretofore heen clone with s machine of the type employed in cutting a spiral sound track in a phonograph disc. In adapting such a machineto the cutting of a spiral groove in e. viewing screenl (or in a. matrix for such a screen). it is of course necessary to provide some means for continuously changing the angle of the blade es the lead-screw of the machine moves the cutn ting heed in a radial direction. Numerous difiiculties nre encountered in cutting a metal matrix for e spiral Fresnei lens with such a me chine. By way of example: the cutting tool may be worn array in making the iongcontinuous cut and it is therefore practically impossible to ensure sharp corners et the apex of each rib and nt the bottom of each groove. Furthermore, it is difficult to generate true spherical surfaces on the .optically refracting surfaces. It is also extremeiy dicult to hold the said surfaces to the correct angle with respect to the perpendicular, since, as previously pointed out, the angle changes conzinuousiy with each groove and each part of every groove. The polishing of s, grooved optical surface also presents serious difficulties.

Accordinflv, the principal object of -my invention is to cfvste the foregoirg and other less apparentl objections to present lay methods und. means icr institu;- mntrices for spiralFresneitype lenses. 1

Another and reiated obiect of my invention is to provide an improved. master matrix er mold for the manufacture of spiral Fresnel-type` -3 Claims. (Cl. Z5-107) with the accompanying drawing. wherein: Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a spirally wound metal biank from which the master matrix of my invention is made and Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive are cross sectional views taken on line II-II of Fig. 1 of the blank at various stages of its conversion into e matrix for molding a. spiral Fresnel-type lens.

In carrying my invention into effect I start with a. tape T made of hardened steel or stainless steel, niclcel, or other suitable material, of uniform thickness and width and wind it up tightly, beginning with the smallest possible center. I may employ a solid center or core C to facilitate the winding operation and, if the diameter orthe core is small, it will not ai'ect the performance of the ultimate Fresnel lens surface. The thickness oi' the tape determines the number of grooves and ridges per inch in the finished' mold. Thus, for forty grooves per inch the tape should be "in of an inch thick (0.025"). it is entirely practical to use tape as thin as one c-ne-thousendths (6.001) of aninch.

If the tape is wound very tightly and clamped tight enough no cement is neededbut, in the interest of rigidity, I may cement all or some l -of the turns during the winding with a very thin lm of thermoplastic cement. I prefer to heat the tape and wind it while it is hot so that it will shrink upon cooling and will also set the thermoplastic cement. As shown in' Figs. 1 und 2 I Wind the tape edgewise in the form 0f a. at

'spiral S and. when the desired diameter is attazned I clamp it in a suitable clamp or holder,

y; H. This holder may comprise simply e. solid metal ring applied while het and then cooled to give it a. shrink fit. In this' condition the wound up tape is well secured end can be machined as.

though it comprised e solid metal plate.

Referring tu Finiti, as the next step in mak ing the mold I cut or grind theplane faces oi the plate into'spheri-cal surfaces A and B, one concave and the other convex, of the same ra.-

dius of curvature. or of different radii, if the Y surface 4of them '.d is to be concave or convex instead of at.

may plate these spherical surfaces with chromium or other hard meta-l lenses, and one characterized by the truel any by heat.

and polish themv in order toprovide themv with an optical nish. When-the desired optical sur-` face or surfaces are attained I remove the clamp' ing ring H or, preferably merely loosen it slightly,

if the turns o the spiral are bonded l with thermoplastic cement I also heat-the blank to plasticize the cement and then press it, concave side down, against s, platen (not shown) o:

anyv desired different rediris (including an :in- 'finite radius) of curvature. In collapsing the plete S, `prefer to use a hydraulic press and I employ snlleient ici-ce to cause the adjacent faces of the convolutions of the metal ribbon to slip on each ot. er in an axial directlcen until' iam-ghe edge of cach turn is in Contact with the flat (or curved) platen of the press. T he ex posed optical Fresnel surface or surfaces A', iE/

the clamping ring to shrink, hardens the thei'- moplastic cement and binds each turn of the ribbonnrinly in its new position.

It will be apparent that in iiattening" the concave-convex spirally wound blank of Fig. the convolutions of the ribbon are converted into spira-ily ribbed surfaces A', B'. That is o say, the now exposed convolutions of the ribbon have a protruding Vbeveled edge which comprises the lens-forming surface oi the matrix. The angie of bevel of these ribbed surfaces varies in oroportion to its radial distance from the center of the spiral.

The master matr-ii: (Fig. 4) can be used directly for molding or embossing purposes or, as indi-A cated in Fig. 5, I may electropiate it and make one or more negative replicas from which any desired number oi positive solid metal molds or "stampers" (Figi (i) may be made by the usual method employe; in the phonograph record. industry. The shape of the master matrix is round, but it may be cut or trimmed to a rectangular. square or other shape, as may also the positive replicas or @stan-ipersl' This trimming operation facilitates the molding or embossing operation necessary in the manufacture of plastic viewing screens since it saves material and eliminates extrn1 finishing operations.

It will now be apparent that my invention provides a novel method of making a matrix for the manufacture of a spiral -Fresnel type lens, and provides an improved matrix of any desired num ber of accurately and sharply cot ribs per inch.'

heated metal ribben in the form of a tight .sr-'Jal having a central axis and a pair of major faces consisting of the cppositely located edges of said ribben, permitting said ribbon to cool whereby to further tighten the convois-tions of said spiral by shrinking the metal of which said ribbon is comprised, cutting at least one of the maior suffixes oi said tightened spirailysiound ribbon in fthe form of e. spherical surface, moving the adjacent flacos of the convolutions -of' said ribbon axially ihth respect to one another to cinnect said surfa' into a surfacebf adiierent radius of curva.-

tire, whereby said last mentioned surface cemprises a continuous tlght spiral rib having au exposed beveled edge which is inclined di'erent degrees with respect to said axis.

2. The invention as set forth in claim i and Y including the step of providing the faces o! said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in 'the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FoREiGN PA'rmITs l Country Date Switzerland June 16, .lQLii Number' Number 

